Pope Innocent III. (1198-1216) and England

This study in English language is designed as one of a series devoted to the dealings of Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) with the various parts of Christendom. It illustrates the quality of this great pope´s power over the English Church and society and his influence in English politics. It brings a great variety of sources to bear on episodes and developments which have too often been assessed solely on the basis of the papal registers. The pope´s claims are compared and contrasted with his achievements. Less emphasis is laid on his theory of papal authority than on the practical consequences of the pope´s mandates and of appeals to Rome. The actual government of the English Church is examined to discover what prerogatives Innocent III asserted and exercised; how litigants used the judicial machinery of the Curia; and how Innocent interpreted his rights and duties in relation to secular government, and to what purpose. The evidence for papal provisions in England in Innocent´s time is examined.Relations between English monasteries and Rome are reviewed, with particular regard to exemption. Disputed episcopal elections provide a chance to measure the efficacy of papal interventions in this sphere. The persisten contumacy of King John over the Canterbury election and the ensuing Interdict reveal both the strength and weakness of the pope in the face of royal resistance. The details of Innocent´s advocacy of King John during the French conquest of Normandy is explored, and the effect of Innocent´s plicy after the king´s absolution in 1213. The reason, theoretical and practical, for the pope´s condemnation of Magna Carta are re-examined. A chapter treats of the English reaction to Innocent´s appeals for Crusades at the beginning and the end of his ponitficate.